Ponting ponders Hilfenhaus or Bollinger for Melbourne

Australia's inability to defend 414 in Perth has left Ricky Ponting
considering bowling changes for next week's Boxing Day Test in
Melbourne. Mitchell Johnson collected 11 wickets for the match but
Brett Lee, Peter Siddle and Jason Krejza managed only one each and
their lack of penetration allowed South Africa to record the
second-highest run chase in Test history.

"We have to look at that," Ponting said after the defeat. "We have to
think about the style of bowlers we've got in the side at the moment,
with the conditions that we're going to be confronted with in
Melbourne and Sydney work out if we think they're the best guys to win
us the next two games. If they're not then we have to make some
changes."

The left-armer Doug Bollinger, who went on this year's tours of West
Indies and India, is a chance to be promoted after completing a
perfectly-timed six-wicket
haul for New South Wales just as Australia lost the Test. Ponting
was also keen to chat with the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch
about the Tasmanian swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus.

"Maybe a Hilfenhaus or someone like that who can definitely use a new
ball," Ponting said. "I think he'll come into calculations. Bollinger
will definitely come into calculations because he was so impressive
with all the work he did in India and I believe he's got wickets
today. We'll talk about all those guys."

Neither Siddle nor Lee produced any swing of note and it left too
heavy a burden on the dangerous Johnson. Lee was also down on pace,
although he is not in immediate danger and has credits in the bank for
his 310 Test wickets, including nine against New Zealand in Adelaide
this month.

"He'll be in the squad," Ponting said. "There's no doubt he's under a
little bit of pressure at the moment. I think if you asked him he'd
probably be a little bit disappointed with only taking one wicket this
week as well. I'm sure he'll be in the squad."

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